season cast iron

[LedFTed 1,100]

smart stove's make for uneven cooking. iron stays fairly constant, might make a difference in cooking. i miss the old stoves, gas or electric. anyone got an opinion on how to cure

a skillet ? the internet is full of opinions, i just want the best way. 🙂 where else could i get it. 🙂🙂

[retro 3,871]

I use bear fat that I render myself to cure iron skillets. I coat the entire iron skillet and put about 1/4" of  bear grease in the bottom and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, occasionally stirring and recoating the sides of the skillet as it cures. You'll need to open your kitchen windows if you're getting it hot enough. :-)

[dearchristopher 35]

I ditto the oven cure! I usually coat entire skillet and wipe it off until it feels like i’ve almost wiped all the oil off. I will usually toss it in my propane grill on high and get it ripping hot, and then cut the grill and let it cool down before bringing it inside for a rinse. then I’ll go on the stove, heat the water off, and put it up. 

I do stovetop seasoning for maintenance, I rarely do a full season in a pit or oven and I can fry an egg without any butter or oil in nearly all of mine 

[LedFTed 1,100]

On 2/23/2020 at 11:17 PM, retro said:

I use bear fat that I render myself to cure iron skillets. I coat the entire iron skillet and put about 1/4" of  bear grease in the bottom and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, occasionally stirring and recoating the sides of the skillet as it cures. You'll need to open your kitchen windows if you're getting it hot enough. 🙂

ah aint got any bears round here. internet say's flax seed oil is the best, in a roundabout way.

Edited February 25, 2020 by LedFTed
had too

[dearchristopher 35]

3 hours ago, LedFTed said:

ah aint got any bears round here. internet say's flax seed oil is the best, in a roundabout way.

 

I used to use grape seed oil. now I just use olive oil and let it smoke outside in the pit. just fry some bacon in yours, that’s a good seasoning

[LedFTed 1,100]

😄

21 hours ago, dearchristopher said:

 

I used to use grape seed oil. now I just use olive oil and let it smoke outside in the pit. just fry some bacon in yours, that’s a good seasoning

flax seed oil take's more heat. +/- grape seed oil. i have ta look it up. i got deer grease, but it might taste bad, never used it, but, winter deer fat, has always left a bad taste., the worst taste. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by LedFTed
same, got to

[Misterclean 406]

Please excuse me if I'm saying something you already know.What ever you do, go outside to do it. You must build a layer of carbon that was made with a temperature higher than normal. anything will work because it's carbon you're looking for. This takes time as you know. I am always very careful at first remembering that the longer you use it the better it gets. I never use water to clean. I use heat and a metal spatula to scrape off remains. Then wipe with a paper towel and layer a film of oil. Eventually you will not need a layer of oil to store. Good luck!

 

[Fishfiles 19,716]

Cook some bacon or hamburger , then after you take out the meat , turn up the heat , wipe it out with paper towels 

[_Wilson_™ 6,434]

This thread brings back some memories of my grandparents...... Both were teachers..... My grandmother taught home economics for years! And my grandfather taught chemistry and coached high school basketball, ran a 300 acre cattle farm... Along with raising a 3 acre garden, (i still recall riding the potato plow)  and a strawberry patch...very hard working people! .... Each Sunday .....  My family would go and have a massive dinner, and myself along with my two sisters would help..... I still recall making the mistake of washing this skillet with water ..... That's the one thing you DID NOT DO..... Is wash that particlure iron skillet........ Far as i know, it's never been washed in almost 30 years....... And makes the best cornbread, chops, and a steak grilled on it, only misses the grill grate marks... My grandmother called it Martha .... I gather thats from Martha white ?? No telling how many morning my grandfather cooked bacon in it...., back then, people worked.... And did there own meats ... Canned foods etc... Times sure have changed...

[toodeep 1,733]

I should have some fresh bacon coming out of the smoker this weekend if you want to season it... 😊

[Fishfiles 19,716]

I never use them , but have collected a nice set of cast iron pots and pans , they are heavy and will scratch up our stove top so using them inside is not going to happen  , there is one that I use , a very large skillet that I fry fish outside with , only thing with that is the burner I use will soot up the outside the pot with black soot , which is very messy -----what is the secret on a type of burner that will not do the black soot thing 

 

Ever see that show use to come on , about a guy that cooks entire meals on a camp fire with different cast iron pots , he stacks them on top one another , main dish on the bottom , veggys and potatoes  going up and even a dessert cake on top , was a good show , don't see him any more 

[Misterclean 406]

2 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

I never use them , but have collected a nice set of cast iron pots and pans , they are heavy and will scratch up our stove top so using them inside is not going to happen  , there is one that I use , a very large skillet that I fry fish outside with , only thing with that is the burner I use will soot up the outside the pot with black soot , which is very messy -----what is the secret on a type of burner that will not do the black soot thing 

 

Ever see that show use to come on , about a guy that cooks entire meals on a camp fire with different cast iron pots , he stacks them on top one another , main dish on the bottom , veggys and potatoes  going up and even a dessert cake on top , was a good show , don't see him any more 

I know about the black soot problem. I would clean the holes in the burners and clean the air holes too. It's running "rich" ha ha

[LedFTed 1,100]

chime in anytime, i say something,, Misterclean, flax seed oil makes the highest heat way to cure skillets, say's the internet. i'm just trying ta find one good way. when i was working HVAC, i seen plenty of soot, an, what it can do. Too prevent gas leaks on pilot light, i used plumbers grease made by gunk. i hate that synthetic stuff. gas leaks on thermal couple, a dab will do it. now i'm giving away my trade secret. so be it. lols

 

[Misterclean 406]

10 hours ago, LedFTed said:

chime in anytime, i say something,, Misterclean, flax seed oil makes the highest heat way to cure skillets, say's the internet. i'm just trying ta find one good way. when i was working HVAC, i seen plenty of soot, an, what it can do. Too prevent gas leaks on pilot light, i used plumbers grease made by gunk. i hate that synthetic stuff. gas leaks on thermal couple, a dab will do it. now i'm giving away my trade secret. so be it. lols

 

I didn't know flax seed had the highest heat resistance.......that's good info. You still need to burn that flax seed oil to carbon tho. Do it slowly because it needs time to bond in the pores of the cast iron. I would repeat the process several times using a little less heat each time but still a higher heat than cooking temps. A few more actual cooking uses with bacon and ground beef should cure it well enough. .......this is a great subject. haha. My wife insists that I rinse my cast iron skillet because a friend that owns his own fancy restaurant said he does. 

[jeepwm69 7,223]

I have a really nice and slick skillet that I have cooked hashbrowns in every Saturday morning for about 10 years.  I just wipe it out with a paper towel when I'm done.  I cook them in grapeseed oil and it's done a great job on that particular skillet.

 

My small cast iron skillet and huge cast iron skillet aren't used enough to get them really slick yet, but hopefully they'll get there before I'm dead.

[LedFTed 1,100]

22 hours ago, Misterclean said:

I didn't know flax seed had the highest heat resistance.......that's good info. You still need to burn that flax seed oil to carbon tho. Do it slowly because it needs time to bond in the pores of the cast iron. I would repeat the process several times using a little less heat each time but still a higher heat than cooking temps. A few more actual cooking uses with bacon and ground beef should cure it well enough. .......this is a great subject. haha. My wife insists that I rinse my cast iron skillet because a friend that owns his own fancy restaurant said he does. 

it was flax seed oil. i cant spell. now, where ta find it. i aint looked it up as yet. flax seed, has omega oils in it, i put it on salad, best to get it ground, for that. i cant read neither[hence missing flax seed oil in your comment], what temp's would ya recommend, in order, so to speak?, the oil for curing a iron skillet?

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by LedFTed
always, my dyslexia

[LedFTed 1,100]

22 hours ago, Misterclean said:

I didn't know flax seed had the highest heat resistance.......that's good info. You still need to burn that flax seed oil to carbon tho. Do it slowly because it needs time to bond in the pores of the cast iron. I would repeat the process several times using a little less heat each time but still a higher heat than cooking temps. A few more actual cooking uses with bacon and ground beef should cure it well enough. .......this is a great subject. haha. My wife insists that I rinse my cast iron skillet because a friend that owns his own fancy restaurant said he does. 

 

[LedFTed 1,100]

don't the heat, when ya cook kill germs? David, a friend of mine, dont clean his grill. he say's the heat kill's the germs, when you heat up the grill..

i hate it when the mice at the hunting place get in the grill. lols

 

[Misterclean 406]

2 hours ago, LedFTed said:

it was flax seed oil. i cant spell. now, where ta find it. i aint looked it up as yet. flax seed, has omega oils in it, i put it on salad, best to get it ground, for that. i cant read neither[hence missing flax seed oil in your comment], what temp's would ya recommend, in order, so to speak?, the oil for curing a iron skillet?

 

I would heat the flax seed oil until it starts to smoke moderately and reduce the heat if needed to prevent over heating. Just trust the smoke as your signal for temperature maximums. I would scrape with a metal spatula and repeat until I saw an actual carbon impregnation in the cast iron. Each time reducing the heat by watching the smoke reducing in it's intensity.  Probably 4 or 5 times would be ok. Then cook some ground meat or bacon. Gently scrape the carbon off leaving some if possible and store with enough oil to look shiney. It takes many uses but it will cure sooner or later. It would probably be better to err on the side of leaving too much carbon on the cooking surface than scraping off too much when curing. Heating and scraping to clean before using is fine.

[LedFTed 1,100]

i got flax oil coming in the mail. i got it at Swanson's.  i'll tell ya the name of the brand later, ya want a special kind. i got three way's to cure pan, with the inside stove, or outside, with Coleman stove, or on grill, with cover. i might need a 4th. usually always windy here, though, we have had a few day's of calm in between extra windy, with, rain off an on. 🙂

 

[Misterclean 406]

13 hours ago, LedFTed said:

i got flax oil coming in the mail. i got it at Swanson's.  i'll tell ya the name of the brand later, ya want a special kind. i got three way's to cure pan, with the inside stove, or outside, with Coleman stove, or on grill, with cover. i might need a 4th. usually always windy here, though, we have had a few day's of calm in between extra windy, with, rain off an on. 🙂

 

if you do it inside make sure the vent fan works good! Ha Ha

 

[LedFTed 1,100]

5 hours ago, Misterclean said:

if you do it inside make sure the vent fan works good! Ha Ha

 

i gotta make sure my brother is at work, and the smoke detectors, are off the wall also. 🙂 😀

[LedFTed 1,100]

The Ultimate Way to Season Cast Iron

i forgot to copy web page. Sheryl Canter method. i'll try to find it.

 

[LedFTed 1,100]

On 2/26/2020 at 11:01 PM, _Wilson_™ said:

This thread brings back some memories of my grandparents...... Both were teachers..... My grandmother taught home economics for years! And my grandfather taught chemistry and coached high school basketball, ran a 300 acre cattle farm... Along with raising a 3 acre garden, (i still recall riding the potato plow)  and a strawberry patch...very hard working people! .... Each Sunday .....  My family would go and have a massive dinner, and myself along with my two sisters would help..... I still recall making the mistake of washing this skillet with water ..... That's the one thing you DID NOT DO..... Is wash that particlure iron skillet........ Far as i know, it's never been washed in almost 30 years....... And makes the best cornbread, chops, and a steak grilled on it, only misses the grill grate marks... My grandmother called it Martha .... I gather thats from Martha white ?? No telling how many morning my grandfather cooked bacon in it...., back then, people worked.... And did there own meats ... Canned foods etc... Times sure have changed...

I Seen a chain scrapper in Target for $20. Looks like chain mail wrapped around a sponge of sorts

[LedFTed 1,100]

 i took home home economics. only guy in a classroom full of girls. i were smart back then.